


Back in Action

by Another_Introvert



Series: The Vanishing Acts [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, Multi, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, like seriously he is super paranoid in this fic, no starker, only irondad here people, the author is not a doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Another_Introvert/pseuds/Another_Introvert
Summary: Peter desperately tries to come up with a way to let a paranoid and overprotective Tony let him go back out as Spider-man.
Relationships: Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: The Vanishing Acts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1675369
Comments: 7
Kudos: 70





	Back in Action

**Author's Note:**

> Just some clarification: Peter didn't get the iron spider suit because he was never beamed up by Maw. In this AU he just didn't reach Doctor Strange in time, so he didn't go to space.  
> Now back to our regularly scheduled fanfiction.

After the Leaving-the-Medbay-without-permission-to-find-a-randomly-disappeared-Peter Incident, Bruce had checked Tony out and given him 9 days left in the compound with medical supervision, due to his blood pressure skyrocketing or something. Tony hadn’t really been paying attention, more focused on not taking his eyes off Peter.

The good news was that after 3 days, Tony was no longer restricted to the medbay only. He could go around the compound as he pleased as long as he checked in with Bruce three times a day and had someone with him at all times. Tony was pretty sure that was just Bruce punishing him for leaving, but per Pepper and Peter’s requests, he obliged.

He also started watching Peter much more carefully. If Pepper was out on recovery efforts (which Tony certainly wasn’t happy about), Peter was by his side, whether it was during Bruce’s check-ins or just them sitting down and talking, eating, or watching movies to take their minds off of the messed up world.

But the day before Tony was to be officially off of medical supervision, as they were watching  _ National Treasure,  _ Peter said. “I want to go back out.”

It was completely out of nowhere. So much so that Tony wasn’t sure Peter had even said anything. He paused the movie. “What was that, kiddo?”

“I said I want to go back out as Spider-man.”

Tony’s mind stopped working. The first thought he had when he came back to his sense was “No.” Absolutely not. The kid had been a mess when he’d returned from Chicago, both physically and emotionally.The last thing Tony wanted was to see that again. No, scratch that, the last thing Tony wanted was for Peter to die.

“Okay,” Tony said, trying to keep his voice calm. “First of all, you thought to say that as we were watching a movie about Nic Cage stealing the Declaration of Independence. Second of all, no.”

“Mr. Stark-”

“I said no. Do you remember how you were when you got back from Chicago? You’d barely slept, overworked yourself even more than I do, and had seven second degree burns.  _ Seven. _ If you’d stayed there any longer, you could’ve ended up in a hospital bed right next to me.”

“I don’t mean Chicago! I just want to go back to being Spider-man in New York.”

“The answer is no. Hard no.”

“Mr. Stark-”

“No. Now watch the damn movie.”

  
  


Peter didn’t watch the damn movie.

Well, he did, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He didn’t care about Nic Cage or Sean Bean or Diane Kruger. He cared about being Spider-man. He cared about getting back into the city he abandoned. Not to get his aunt’s ashes or any of his belongings (even though most of them had been stolen by the time he went back to his place), but to protect the people who couldn’t protect themselves. Here he was with Tony Stark watching a fifteen-year-old Nic Cage movie in a safe, guarded compound while the remaining people in the city he grew up in were left to fend for themselves.

Was that fair at all? Hell no.

Of course Peter couldn’t bring all those people to the compound, but he could help them in other ways. He could stop the raids happening to houses and apartments. That would probably be his main thing. He remembered how disappointed he’d felt when he found his and May’s apartment basically picked clean. It was a huge relief that the jar where he’d left the ashes was still there.

After the movie ended, Peter bid Mr. Stark goodnight, and Mr. Stark gave him a brief, warm hug. It had become quite normal for them since Peter came back to the compound. Tony would just randomly give Peter a hug like he was the most precious thing in the world. It was nice to know that Peter had someone who cared about him as much as May had.

When Peter got to the room Mr. Stark had given him, he grabbed one of the nice, soft pillows on his bed, slammed his face into it, and screamed.

He didn’t mean to be acting like he was younger than he was. But it was unfair that Mr. Stark wouldn’t even give him a chance. He knew that he only wanted to protect him, but Peter wanted to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves. 

Peter threw himself onto his bed, throwing the pillow aside and sighing. He wasn’t thrill-seeking. He just wanted to help people. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently to Tony it was. 

It was either the fact that he didn’t bother to change into his pajamas or the urge to get back out as Spider-Man that made Peter unable to sleep. He tried for over an hour, but not even a hint of tiredness came over him. He finally gave up and turned on the lamp next to his bed.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y? Are you up?”

The AI’s calm voice responded almost instantly. “Always, Mr. Parker. You seem to have been failing to achieve sleep for exactly 86 minutes and 44 seconds. Would you like me to alert Mr. Stark?”

“Is he awake?” 

“He has been asleep for approximately 25 minutes and 9 seconds. Would you like me to wake him for you.”

Peter pondered the suggestion. “No, that’s fine. I’m okay.”

“Very well, Mr. Parker.”

Peter laid in bed for twenty more minutes, his mind trying to come up with some way that Tony would allow him to be Spider-man again. His suit had been fixed up, but by the time he’d left Chicago it had been in tatters, so there was no way Tony would let him wear it again. 

And then it hit him.

The day Peter had turned down the Avengers, Mr. Stark had offered him the Iron Spider suit. Peter had never tried it on, but it definitely was one of the coolest things he;d ever seen. Knowing Tony, it was bulletproof, fireproof, and had dozens of other confusing features. 

It was perfect.

A determined smile plastered across his face, Peter sprang out of bed and left his room. 

Tony’s room was right down the hall. Bruce allowed him to sleep in there as long as F.R.I.D.A.Y was monitoring him at all times. Tony would be alone tonight, as Pepper was doing a relief effort in San Francisco and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night. That was good, because she wouldn’t be there to take a side in the argument that was sure to ensue.

Peter reached Tony;s door, practically bouncing with excitement and hope. That hadn’t happened in a while, and Peter was even happier thinking about it.

“Okay, Peter.” He whispered to himself. “Just go in there, don’t freak him out, and just remind him of the suit. It’s not that hard.”

Not the best encouragement speech he’d ever given himself, but it was enough for him to work up the nerve to open Tony Stark’s bedroom door.

Peter always knew that Tony was a light sleeper, so it was no surprise that the second the light from the doorway hit Tony’s eyelids, they flew open and his head shot up.

“Pete?” He asked, his voice low and tired but his eyes immediately filled with worry. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Mr. Stark.” Peter said as calm as he possibly could. “I just need to talk to you about something.”

“And you had to do it at- let’s see…” Tony glanced at a clock across the room. “12:30 at night?”

Oh shit, it was late. Maybe Peter hadn’t thought this through enough. 

“Oh, right, sorry. It can wait until tomorrow.” 

Peter felt his face turn pink as he turned to go back to his room, but Tony’s voice stopped him.

“Oh, what the Hell? This bed’s lonely without two people in it. Get in here, kid.”

Peter was shocked he didn’t get whiplash from how fast he turned his head. “What?”

“I said get in bed so we can talk about whatever you want to talk about. It’s not that weird, we slept in the same hospital bed together for 14 hours straight.”

Peter hesitated, but after a moment he went and carefully sat on the bed next to Tony before he could change his mind.

“F.R.I, lights on low, please.” Tony said. Not even a second later, a dim light filled the room. Tony sat up, staring at Peter intently. “Okay, kiddo, what was so important that you came in here at midnight?”

Peter took a deep breath, prepping what he had to say. “Okay, so, you know how I mentioned earlier that I wanted to go back out as Spider-man?”

“I told you no. That was the end of it.”

“I know, I know, but I had a thought.”

“Okay. Spill.”

Peter patted his thumbs on his knees. “I know you won’t let me use my suit.”

“Hell no. It’s a miracle that it didn’t fall apart at the seams when you got back.”

“I know, I know, but remember that metal suit you made me when you asked me to join the Avengers?”

Tony pursed his lips. “What are you getting at here?”

“I thought I could use that when I went out as Spider-man. It’s way safer and more durable. You wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

He didn’t even intend to say what he said next. “Look, this isn’t about me wanting to prove anything. Chicago wasn’t either. I didn’t feel like I could be in New York anymore, but I still wanted to help people, and Chicago seemed like the perfect place to do that. And I want to keep doing that. I can’t just sit here while there are so many people that need my help.”

Tony looked down, seeming deep in thought. Peter fidgeted with his own fingers, hoping he’d gotten through to Tony. The man’s conscious was screaming “NO” at him, but maybe his heart and logic would tell him otherwise. 

Finally, Tony said quietly, “You’re too good for this world, kid. You know that?”

Peter felt his face turn pink. “Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

Tony then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. Peter instantly hugged him back and rested his cheek on Tony’s shoulder.

“Okay.” Tony said. “Let’s say I did let you go back out as Spider-man. You’d have to check in with me, I don’t know, once every hour.”

“Done.”

“And if I see your vitals so much as blip at all, I come out there and get you.”   
  


“A little weird, but if it makes you feel better, then sure.”

“And you won’t be able to do it every day.”

“That’s fine.”

“Nothing I say can stop you, huh?”

“Nope.”

Tony sighed, letting Peter go. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if you do all of those things and wear the iron spider suit, then fine.”

A huge smile spread across Peter’s face. It had worked! Tony was actually going to let him be Spider-man again! 

He couldn’t help himself. He threw himself back at Tony and hugged him as hard as he could without crushing him. “Thank you so much!”

Tony patted his shoulder. “But you have to promise me that you’ll stay safe. That you won’t take on anything you can’t handle. I can’t lose you for real, Peter.”

Peter’s smile faded a little. In Chicago, he hadn’t been very careful of his own safety, thinking he had no one left who cared about him. But he’d have to in New York. Because as much as he didn’t believe it before, Tony really did care about him. He didn’t want to think about how Tony would react to his actual death.

“I promise.” He said without hesitation. 

“Great. But before you do anything, we’ll have to be sure that suit will still fit you.”   
  


“Mr. Stark!”

  
  
  


Tony had been pacing around the kitchen in the compound for… he didn’t even know how long. Too long. Just like it had been since Peter had texted him last.

It had only been about an hour ago. And before that it had been an hour and two minutes, and Tony was sure the kid had been shot or kidnapped or crushed. But then Peter had texted him with a stupid smiley face emoji at the end.

But that didn’t stop Tony from worrying. Every moment he didn’t receive a message made Tony’s mind fill with horrible thoughts on what could be happening to him. Pepper was always nearby, rubbing his shoulders and telling him to calm down, that Peter knew what he was doing and that he would be careful. But Tony couldn’t help being scared. Anything could happen to him out there, and Tony could lose him for real.

“Tony, relax.” Pepper said from her place on the kitchen counter. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s way better off here than he was in Chicago.”

“I know.” Tony said, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. “But what if he’s in trouble? He could be hurt right now, or-”

“You gave him a bulletproof suit, for God’s sake. He’s fine.”

“I know, but-”

“If you know, then why are you still pacing around and letting yourself worry?”

“Because I can’t lose him again!”

Tony hadn’t meant to shout in Pepper’s face. The fear over losing Peter just burst out like a powder keg. He couldn’t keep it in him anymore. He just needed his kid safe and alive. Was that too much to ask?

He half-expected Pepper to walk out of the room, yell at him, or even slap him. But instead, like the amazing woman she was, she got up from the counter and kissed him.

“I know you can’t.” She whispered. “But worrying isn’t going to make you feel better. Believing in and trusting Peter will.” 

She was right, as always. Tony knew that with every fiber of his being. But he also knew he would never not worry about Peter. He just needed to learn not to let his fear control him. 

“Mr. Parker has entered the compound grounds.”

F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice was like an angel’s. Learning to control his fears could wait. Tony needed to see his kid.

He raced out of the kitchen and down the stairs, once again ignoring every random body pain before he got to the front entrance. He made it in what he guessed was less than a minute, stumbling on his own two feet as he saw Peter throw open the door, staring at his paranoid, relieved self with wide eyes.

Forgetting his exhaustion, Tony immediately wrapped his arms around the kid. Peter patted his back. “I’m fine, totally fine. Don’t worry.”

“I know you’re fine.” Tony said quietly. “I just had to see you before I could really believe it.”   
  


He didn’t care that the hug was uncomfortable due to the metal suit Peter was wearing. He didn’t care that his entire body was begging to collapse. All he cared about was the fact that the kid was safe in his arms.

That was all he ever wanted.


End file.
